


Absolution

by Skyler10



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Pete's World, Post-Episode: The Day of the Doctor, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 16:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4842809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyler10/pseuds/Skyler10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All this time, Tentoo has lived with the burden and haunting guilt of the day he ended the Time War. Well, he says ended, but it’s never really been over for him. Not with what he did, or how he did it. But what if Eleven could somehow get a message through the void to relay what really happened? That it didn’t end the way his part-human self thinks it did? A post-DotD fic via telepathy, set in Pete’s World.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absolution

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t think I have ever seen a fic addressing this, so thought I would go there. Forgive any accidental misinterpretations of canon. It was drafted after rewatching the 50th, but it’s been a while since then. I also haven't seen series 9, which debuted this weekend, so who knows what will happen in canon after this is published.

_“Rose.”_  
  
She rolled over in protest and shook her head.   
  
_“Rose?”_  
  
“Mhm?”  
  
_“Rose!”_  
  
“What?”  
  
The woman in question finally opened her eyes and squinted over at her husband, convincingly asleep on his side of the bed.   
  
“Doctor?”  
  
“Mmm?” he groaned.   
  
“Were you calling me?”  
  
“Not consciously. Rose, it’s 2 in the morning.”   
  
“I know that, which is why I’m asking why you woke me up.”  
  
“I didn’t wake you up. You woke me up.”  
  
_“ROSE.”_   
  
“There? That wasn’t you?”  
  
“What wasn’t me?”  
  
_“Oh, for goodness’ sake. Can you ask him to lower his mental barriers?”_  
  
Rose shot up in bed and panted in surprise.   
  
“Who’s there?!” she cried.  
  
_“Rose, it’s me. The Doctor. I need to talk to you. Both of you.”_  
  
“You don’t sound like you.”  
  
_“I’ve regenerated.”_  
  
Rose turned to her husband, who was panicking at her expression.   
  
“What is it?” he pressed.   
  
“Lower your barriers.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Your telepathy. Listen.”  
  
_“’Ello, Me!” Or sort-of me. We never really established that.”  
  
“You’re?”  
  
“Yup, the future you would have had, had you not been quite so vain the first time and duplicated yourself. My we had our issues, didn’t we? Worth it though. For example, you got the lovely Miss Tyler.”  
  
“That’s Mrs. now, thank you very much,” _ Rose informed him.   
  
_“Hey-ho! Congratulations, all around.”  
  
“But, how are you here? In our heads?”   
  
“You always did have the best questions, love. Complicated event in time just happened, thought I’d try my luck on getting through.”  
  
“Do you have something to say or just thought you would check in?” _ Rose’s Doctor finally chimed in.   
  
“Don’t be rude,” she scolded.   
  
“I’m only asking.”   
  
_“Actually yes. There’s something you need to know.”  
  
“Well, what is it then?” _ the Doctor asked himself.   
  
_“Gallifrey falls no more. The Time War is finally over.”  
  
“WHAT?”  
  
“You – the other you – and me, and all of us, won’t remember it. Except this me, of course. So nothing changes for us. Don’t worry. No paradoxes or big bad reapers. Just a bit of a… different outcome.”  
  
“And what does THAT mean? You can’t just come in here into our universe, our house, our minds, popping in any way you want, you know. Meaningless statements like...”  
  
“So, you’re married then?” _ the Time Lord interrupted.   
  
_“Yup,”_ Rose answered as her husband muttered about bothersome future regenerations.   
  
_“Any… juniors?”  
  
“No, not yet anyway. But, uh, working on it.” _ She blushed at her own candidness, though she knew he couldn’t see her.   
  
_“Ah.”_ The voice held a bit of a knowing smile.   
  
_“Doctor, are you…? Do you have a companion?”  
  
“Yes! Lovely girl. Goes by Clara. That’s her name.”  
  
“Tell me about her?”  
  
“Grew up on the Powell Estate, actually. Didn’t know that when I met her. Complicated story there. She’s a few years ahead of you in time though, doubt you’d met. Funny thing, really. Well, not funny at all. Terribly sad, but her mum died the same day you and I met.”   
  
“5 March 2005?”   
  
“The very one. She doesn’t always travel with me. She’s a teacher. But we have our fun. Save the world. You know the bit.”  
  
“Good. I’d always wondered,” _ she breathed a sigh of relief. _“You need someone.”  
  
“Don’t I know it, Rose Tyler,” _ he responded, smile evident in his tone.   
  
_“What are you really ‘calling’ about?”_ her husband demanded.  
  
_“I told you. I’ve frozen Gallifrey in time. Tucked away in a pocket universe.”  
  
“That’s impossible. How?!”  
  
“A pocket universe? Like Donna’s…” _ Rose tried to understand.  
  
_“No. Not really. Not like – Anyway, I just thought you should know. You weren’t there, after all. Your face was, Doctor, but it was after, for that you. The only one of us who couldn’t make it back.”  
  
“What are you saying?” _ Blimey, if he thought he was enigmatic, this new regeneration took cryptic to a new level. _“The planet didn’t burn?”  
  
“No. We saved them after all. The children. Everyone. Still alive and locked away safe. We didn’t murder them, Doctor. You. Are. Free.” _ The voice was trembling now, as if the speaker were pronouncing absolution over himself as well. Over them all.   
  
_“Thank you,”_ the metacrisis Doctor replied in shock. _“This is, well, I still don’t quite believe it.”_  
  
“You don’t have to, of course. I’d love to tell you to see for yourself, but it’s still on this side of the void. Just… be at peace, brother. That’s all I really came to say. Be at peace.”   
  
And with that, the voice was gone, leaving their minds back in their normal state.  
  
“Rose, did that just?”  
  
“Yeah. So it wasn’t a dream then?”  
  
“No, I think we’re really awake.”  
  
“Oh, Doctor,” she breathed out his name in awe, joy overwhelming her disbelief.   
  
“All those years, thinking I was someone I’m not.”  
  
“It’s over, love.” She reached over to embrace him and pecked a kiss on his cheek as he blinked in incredulity. “It’s over. Gallifrey falls no more. That’s what he said.”   
  
“It wasn’t a trick.”  
  
Rose shook her head.   
  
“They’re alive. All those people. They lived.” Tears formed in his eyes even as he half-laughed out the words.   
  
Rose nodded as her husband drew her tighter to his chest.   
  
“Shh,” she comforted as he cried through his release from damning bondage. She wiped away the tear streaks with reverent, gentle fingers. “You’re free, my Doctor. No more ghosts of home. No more dreams of ash. No more nightmares of burning TARDISes. No more regrets.”  
  
After a few moments of simply holding each other, the Doctor pulled away and gathered his composure before the questions he knew were coming. Questions from her and from his own mind as the revelation – and absolution – sank in.   
  
“Do you think he’ll go looking for it?” Rose asked.   
  
“Oooo, nah. He’s just glad it didn’t end with him. The Time Lords weren’t particularly fond of me.”   
  
“But you always talk about it so-”  
  
“No, I say it was beautiful,” he cut her off swiftly. “Because it was. But the council… they were not nice people, Rose. Let’s just say, I wouldn’t have wanted you to meet them. And I don’t believe that me will fancy visiting them even if he could find a way.”   
  
Rose nodded and laid her head back down on his chest.   
  
“Will you tell me about the good things you remember? The things you’ve missed?”  
  
The Doctor swallowed. He knew she would be tired after a telepathic encounter like that, so he didn’t worry about having to go on for long. It was all just a bit much. But he could never deny her anything, so he began.   
  
“The children danced the May pole every spring. The silver leaves on silver trees danced along to the music, sweet music like you’ve never heard, Rose Tyler. The birds and the flowers joined in, of course, wouldn’t want to be left out of a celebration like that. Would you? And the nights were bright with stars…”


End file.
